Notes on Debt

Book review of Debt by David Graeber

Every so often I deviate from novels and dive into an esoteric part of history. Spending a lot of time with imaginary people and their imaginary lives is fun, but also a sure fire way to lose touch with reality (have you ever had a dream about a person that doesn’t exist but you felt deeply attached to? That’s kinda what reading novels feels like), so I read history. It keeps me sane, sharp and curious. This time I found myself reading David Graeber’s Debt: The First 5,000 years an extensive treatise on debt, economics, and the origin of money. I’ve written about Graeber before and his book Bullshit Jobs and he’s quickly become my favorite anthropologist for his wit and candor. It’s easy for me to doze off as soon as most academics open their mouths, but Graeber is an exception. He always has something to offer and is never a bore. While reading this four hundred page book I was met with parable after parable. Stories of men getting rich, losing it …